


That's Me In the Corner, That's Me In the Spotlight

by turnonmyheels



Category: Good Wife (TV)
Genre: Episode Related, Gen, Misses Clause Challenge, Missus Clause Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-14
Updated: 2011-12-14
Packaged: 2017-10-27 08:33:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/293782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turnonmyheels/pseuds/turnonmyheels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set Post 3.09 Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.  Diane, Alicia, and Kalinda re-examine their lives.  Cameo appearance by Eli Gold</p>
            </blockquote>





	That's Me In the Corner, That's Me In the Spotlight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fictorium](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictorium/gifts).



> Takes two episodes into special consideration: Executive Order 13224 and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, diverges from canon with 3.09. A very special thank you to my betas.

That’s me in the corner, that’s me in the spotlight

 

 _”I feel very lucky because of my parents and then my education, the opportunities that I've had, so I would like to continue working to improve lives for others._ ”  
Hillary Clinton

Diane no longer rode the main elevator to her office. That all-glass elevator opened into the reception area of her firm where the carpets were plush, the incandescent lighting perfectly serene, the air scented with vases of fresh flowers, while quiet music soothed anxious clients. These days, Diane always rode the elevator from the parking deck. It opened into the rear section of Lockhart-Gardner. Fluorescent lighting spilled into the elevator as the metal doors opened. She stepped out onto commercial carpeting. Phones rang, lawyers scurried to and fro, and there was no receptionist to greet her -- but a few people waved when she passed them by, heads crooked uncomfortably holding phones to shoulders as they frantically took notes.

There weren’t any clients to be soothed here. The ones who were represented here were typically denied bail or couldn’t afford it if offered. The air on this side of the building was scented with old coffee, paper and ink, and, she liked to imagine, adrenaline. The body working overtime to give the mind the extra boost it needed to do whatever it took to defend their clients.

Diane liked to linger in Legal Aid at every opportunity. It reminded her of the principles she was raised to fight for. _Everyone_ deserved legal counsel. _Everyone_ deserved the same inalienable rights. No one, regardless of their religion, race, or wealth was better or deserved more than anyone else. Everyone everywhere was intrinsically the same and therefore deserved the same chances, and of course, the same talented and skilled attorneys. Diane studied the whiteboard, just as she did every time she came through, making sure there were no cases slipping through the cracks. The docket list was never any smaller, but at least today it hadn’t doubled in size. Diane made a mental note to tell her assistant to schedule her six hours with Legal Aid this week and to make sure all staff were meeting their pro bono requirements.

Satisfied that things were running as smoothly as they could, Diane slipped through the double mahogany doors into the lush and calculatedly soothing space of her firm. Partners were in their offices, paralegals were ensconced in the library, heads bent over huge texts, associate cubes were bustling with activity, and over it all the voice of Eli Gold shattered the well-crafted serenity.

“No, no, NO!” Diane couldn’t help but be amused as she watched Eli throw a fit in his office. She noticed a few heads turning and disapproving expressions directed Eli’s way. Perhaps she should install frosted glass after all and look into some sound proofing around his office, if no one else’s. Eli whipped around so that his back was to the window and Diane couldn’t make out his next words. Eli Gold was the biggest drama queen she had ever met.

And that was saying something.

Diane stopped at Kalinda’s office and rapped her knuckles against the glass. “Kalinda, I need you in my office.”

Kalinda looked up at her, as cool and unreadable as ever. “I’ll be right there.” Kalinda said, but Diane kept walking and didn’t hear her.

Today was the day. Diane had let things slide while she re-ordered her priorities. Her lapse had allowed certain things that mattered to take a backseat to other things that were frivolous at best and immoral at worst. No more. Diane noticed Alicia was in her office talking on the phone. Diane paused there too. “Alicia, my office when you have a minute.” She waited for acknowledgment this time. Alicia smiled and nodded in response. Diane glanced across the hall into Will’s office. He was watching their exchange. She raised an eyebrow at him and headed for her office.

Diane closed her office door behind her. She drafted a quick email to her assistant to schedule the extra pro bono hours this week. By the time she had finished, Kalinda was seated in front of her, posture ramrod straight, knee-clad boots firmly squeezed together, notepad in her lap, pen in hand. Kalinda’s efficiency was Diane’s second favorite trait, edged out narrowly by her discretion.

“I assume you’ve been assisting Will in the investigation against him?” Diane closed her laptop. “And that you were as taken off guard by the turn in this investigation as he was?” Diane watched Kalinda’s expression closely. She had an amazing poker face, no tells that Diane had found.

“That’s correct.”

“I had a visit from Wendy Scott-Carr yesterday.” Diane pulled off her reading glasses and placed them on the desk. “Off the record, of course. She’s been hired by the State’s Attorney as a special prosecutor for the investigation into Will for judicial bribery.” Something flashed in Kalinda’s eyes. Diane couldn’t read it and attempting to decipher it would be pointless. “Not the angle you were looking into?”

“No.” Kalinda scribbled something onto her pad. “My source told me the investigation was winding down.”

“I’ve spoken with Will about it. We’ve agreed that he is being punished for--”

“I see.”

“I’m sure you do.” Diane glanced out the window to see Alicia heading towards her office. She needed to wrap this up. “They cannot continue. This firm cannot withstand that kind of scrutiny.” Eli caught Alicia before she reached Diane’s office. That gave her at least a few more minutes; she turned all of her focus back to Kalinda.

“No, it can’t.” Kalinda agreed.

“I need you to keep an eye on the situation, make sure it gets handled.” Diane waited a beat. “On both sides. I know you’re close to Will; use it to make him do the right thing. Whatever it was that happened between you and Alicia--”

“That’s not--”

“Also needs to go away. There will be no more dissension in the ranks at Lockhart-Gardner.”

“Of course.” Kalinda shifted minutely in her seat.

If Diane were a fanciful type of person she would say Kalinda had squirmed just then. But Diane was not fanciful, and Kalinda could be accused of many things, but squirming wasn’t one of them. There was a knock on the door. Diane waved Alicia inside.

“Alicia, thank you for joining us. Please have a seat.” Diane waited until Alicia was seated. “I’m sure both of you are well aware that we have generously shared our vacant space with Cook County Legal Aid. The move has made it possible for Legal Aid to stay open when it would have otherwise been forced to close its doors.” Diane pulled a stack of folders from her bottom desk drawer and handed one folder to each of them. “Moving them here is just the tip of the iceberg. I want a mandatory five hours per week _minimum_ from each Junior Associate in this firm. Alicia, I’m putting you in charge of that. Kalinda, I want the same from your department.”

“Diane, I--”

“No excuses, Kalinda. I realize between our cases and Eli that you’re being pulled in too many directions, so Will and I want you to hire someone.” Diane put on her glasses and looked at Kalinda over the frames. “Someone more like you than Blake Calamar. Train them, let them learn the ropes in Legal Aid, but keep an eye on them. I’ve instructed Human Resources to defer to you on the matter.”

“I’ll get right on that.” Kalinda said as she stood.

“Thank you.” Diane waited until Kalinda had left the office and closed the door behind her. “I realize that between Eli’s demands and your cases that this may be more than--”

“Yes.” Diane looked sharply at Alicia. “I mean, no, it isn’t more than I can handle.”

Alicia’s expression said otherwise to Diane, so she raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, resting both arms on the desk. “But?”

Alicia’s lips twitched just a bit. Her poker face wasn’t nearly as good as Kalinda’s, but it was getting better every day. “No buts, more of a why.”

“Why you, or why now?”

“Both.” Alicia always looked Diane in the eye. She always considered her words so very carefully before speaking. She reminded Diane of her younger self in that regard.

“Because it’s past time for you.” Diane enjoyed the indignation that flashed -- blink and you’ll miss it quick -- across Alicia’s face. “If not now, when?”

“That’s not--”

“Not the full answer, no.” Now was the best and probably only time Diane was going to be able to have this conversation. Any further in her career and Alicia wouldn’t listen. Any sooner and Alicia wouldn’t have been making enough money to fully understand. “If you had not chosen to stay at home and raise your children you’d be a partner or a senior partner somewhere right now.” Diane took her glasses off again and used them to emphasize her words. “You’re smart. You’re gifted. You can sway juries, move judges, and clients trust you. More importantly than all of these things: you care about justice. You want to do the right thing. That can’t be taught.”

Alicia’s back lost a touch of its rigidity. “Why now?”

“I’ve neglected you, Alicia.” Diane leaned back against her chair and softened her voice. “I didn’t realize how much I’d neglected you until you hired Elsbeth Tascioni to represent you.”

Alicia shifted in her seat. “I believe” -- Diane paused, enjoying Alicia’s apparent discomfort before she leaned forward again -- “that you thought we weren’t taking the charges against you seriously.”

“Eight years in prison--”

“You would never have been convicted, Alicia.”

“I couldn’t risk--”

“Your children, I understand.” Diane didn’t really. Her career was her life -- she had a firm instead of children, the law instead of a lover. Now she had a brand new baby settling in just down the hall. Thinking of it was a delight unlike any she had experienced before. Her parents and grandparents would be so proud of her. “I was meant to be your mentor when you were hired. Then we nearly lost the firm. I was working so hard fighting for the firm, trying to keep it alive, that I didn’t develop that relationship with you. I apologize.”

Alicia started to speak, but Diane held up a hand to stop her again. “I underestimated you from the beginning, Alicia. I’m sure you understand why. I promise you, I won’t make that mistake again.” Diane dropped her hand and put on her glasses while she reached for a second set of files. She handed one to Alicia and kept the other for herself.

“I … thank you,” Alicia said as she accepted the folder.

“No thanks are necessary.” Diane opened the folder and picked up a pen. “Now let’s talk about the accelerated partner track, shall we? You’ve managed this far on your own; let’s see how fast we can get you there together.” Alicia’s poker face was no match for the projected salary figures Diane knew Alicia was looking at. “Shall we start with any obstacles that may be in your path?”

There was a knock on Diane’s door. She was unsurprised to see Eli on the other side; no one else would have dared interrupt. She raised an eyebrow at Eli -- he knew more than anyone the significance of getting Alicia on board with this plan. A constipated expression crossed his face, but he held up both hands and glared at her before turning on his heel and striding away.

Alicia glanced behind her to see who it was. She met Diane’s raised eyebrow with one of her own. “Obstacles?”

“Yes, please turn to page three. I’m sure you’ll see what I mean.”

Alicia turned to page three and started skimming. She looked up at Diane, an expression of muted alarm on her face. “Yes, I’m starting to see.”

“Please take your time.” Will was leaning against the doorframe to his office with his arms crossed over his chest. Diane watched him observing her and Alicia. He looked like a man on the verge of falling apart. Eli approached him, and Will led him into his office. Diane would love to be a fly on the wall for that meeting. Alicia cleared her throat and closed the file. She started to hand it across the desk, but Diane shook her head. “That’s for you to keep.”

“I see.” Alicia’s mouth looked pinched and there was a stiffness to her bearing Diane hadn’t seen for a couple years.

“There are things in this world, Alicia, that we all want. We have to prioritize. We have to sacrifice.” A heavy silence fell across the room. Diane relaxed into the stillness and waited.

“What do you want, Diane? Not just for the firm, but for you?” Alicia finally broke the silence.

Diane smiled at the white-knuckled grip Alicia had on the folders. “I want to be a judge. I want to serve the Supreme Court.” She had not said those words out loud in more than a decade. Saying them now, to Alicia, made her feel as though she were sharing an intimate secret.

“I see.”

Alicia sat up even straighter. It made Diane’s back twinge to look at her. “What do you want, Alicia?”

“I want my family to be happy and healthy.”

Diane nodded. “Of course you do.” She started to push away from the desk and dismiss Alicia.

“I want to be my own person.” The words were spoken so quickly that they nearly tumbled over each other.

Diane relaxed into her chair. A level of tension she wasn’t aware she’d been carrying lifted. “Do you want to talk about that?” The warmth in her own voice caught her off guard.

“No.” Alicia held up the folder. “I think this covers it.” Alicia stood and held out a hand for Diane to shake. Diane took Alicia’s hand. It was smaller than her own but the grip was just as firm and sure. “Thank you.”

“For?” Diane asked as she released Alicia’s hand.

“Putting everything on the table.” Alicia glanced over her shoulder. Diane followed her gaze to see Eli and Will both on their feet in Will’s office, yelling at each other. “I made my decision a while ago. I’ve been … delaying putting it in motion. I see now that I can’t wait any longer.”

“If you need anything--”

“I don’t.” Alicia’s face cleared, becoming entirely unguarded, then she smiled. “Thank you.” Alicia gathered the folders and left the office.

Diane realized in that instant that she had no idea at all what Alicia intended to do.

 _“Justice may be blind, but she has very sophisticated listening devices.”_  
Edgar Argo

Kalinda delicately sipped from a shot glass filled to the brim with Patron. It was too good to shoot, no matter how much she may have wanted to. She checked the time on her phone; eleven o’clock, late for this particular hotel bar. The majority of the clientele -- Kalinda was not now, nor would she ever be part of the majority -- dispersed about an hour ago, which was why the meeting was scheduled for now.

She kept her gaze on the mirror in front of her. She had discovered long ago, the best way to face a room was with your back -- but only if you were looking into a mirror. From her vantage point Kalinda could see the hotel lobby, its entrance, and every patron in the bar, but no one could clearly see her. A cab pulled up outside and Dana stepped out, right on time. She was unsurprised to see Cary climb out of the cab behind her.

They stumbled a little as they entered the hotel. First Dana’s heel slipped in a puddle by the door. Her arms shot out as her balance wavered. Then she grabbed hold of Cary in what looked like a drunken attempt to regain her footing. His foot hit the same slippery patch a beat after hers. Kalinda sipped her tequila and watched as Dana twisted, both hands reaching out for and latching onto Cary. She tugged Cary down at the same time Cary looked like he was trying to push her up.

It ended in seconds with Cary on his ass in the middle of the hotel lobby. Dana stood over him laughing as he struggled to his feet. He slipped a couple of times before he managed to stand, his suit appeared to be wrecked, both the back and the knees. When he finally regained his feet, Cary shrugged his shoulders and gave Dana one of Kalinda’s favorite impish smiles. They looked a little wobbly as Cary, hand low on her back, guided Dana to the elevators. Cary pushed the button to call the elevator then draped his arm around Dana. He leaned in close enough to nuzzle at her throat and spoke directly into her ear.

Dana threw her head back and laughed loudly enough that Kalinda could hear it from the bar. The elevator doors opened and Cary stepped inside. He pulled Dana against him and kissed her. Even with the distance and the mirror between them she could see the practiced familiarity with which they touched. _How sweet._ Kalinda sipped the tequila again, savoring the bite as it warmed its way through her body.

One of them, Kalinda couldn’t tell whom, ended the kiss. Cary looked up, over Dana’s head and into the bar, meeting Kalinda’s eyes in the mirror. Kalinda maintained eye contact with Cary as his hand shot out to hold the elevator door open when it tried to close. He kept his eyes on Kalinda while he kissed Dana one more time. The elevator doors began to close again. Dana ran her fingers down his tie, gave it a little tug and headed toward the bar. He lifted his chin to Kalinda’s reflection before the doors finally closed.

“Of all the gin joints in all the world,” Dana said as she dropped onto the stool beside Kalinda.

“Why did you walk into mine?” Kalinda signaled the bartender to bring a drink for Dana.

“I’m pretty sure this place doesn’t actually belong to you.” Dana clinked her glass against Kalinda’s and threw back the shot. She sputtered a little as she set the empty glass on the bar. “But it’s always better to be safe than sorry.”

“I’ve never thought so.”

“Really?” Dana scoffed and called for a glass of cabernet. “You strike me as someone who watches after herself first and last. Someone who always comes out on top no matter what.”

Kalinda leaned toward Dana, close enough to smell Scotch over the tequila and the wine she was now sipping. Beneath it all was a hint of the Michael Kors cologne she had always preferred on Cary. “You don’t know anything about me.” Kalinda had given him a bottle of it when he’d been promoted to Deputy State’s Attorney, along with a note about it covering up the smell permeating his office. Kalinda liked the idea of Cary wearing scent she’d bought for him when he took Dana to bed. She maneuvered her chair as close to Dana’s as it would go, then laid her arm across the back.

Dana giggled into her wine glass.

“Something funny?” Kalinda ran the toe of her boot along Dana’s calf.

“You.” Dana leaned even closer to Kalinda. From the distance Kalinda could count her eyelashes or the crow’s feet just starting to show in the corner of her eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you, I’m not a lesbian?”

“You don’t have to tell me anything.” Kalinda pressed the tip of her boot into the bend at the back of Dana’s knee. Her fingers found the ends of Dana’s hair and toyed with them a little. Dana’s head tilted back a fraction and a little sound escaped her throat. “Just give me the information you promised.”

“I don’t have any new information. I told you the investigation was winding down.” Dana’s eyes closed a little and she smiled when Kalinda let her fingernails trail over the nape of her neck. “Apparently, I need to remind you that I’m straight constantly, since you won’t stop coming onto me.” Dana sipped her wine and leaned even closer to Kalinda, her arm pressing against Kalinda’s breast.

“No, you really don’t have to tell me anything.” Kalinda finished her Patron in one swallow. “I learn by observation.” She pushed her stool away from the bar and stood. Dana made a small sound at the loss of contact.

“Johnny?” The bartender turned toward Kalinda.

“What’s up, K?”

“Put it on my tab, would you?” Kalinda headed to the exit.

“Sure thing.”

“Hey, where are you going?” Dana called out when Kalinda was halfway across the room.

“I already know everything there is to know about you, Dana. If there’s anyone who looks after herself first and last, it’s you.”

 _“Only the man who has enough good in him to feel the justice of the penalty can be punished.”_  
William Ernest Hocking

Alicia was waiting outside the courtroom. She checked her watch for the fifth time in half as many minutes. She crossed the hall to the water fountain, used her hip to press the lever, then waited several seconds after the water had started flowing before taking a drink. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and was turning around to pace back to the courtroom when the double doors opened. People filed out and Alicia searched the crowd as it streamed out of the courtroom for Elsbeth’s unmistakable red hair. “Elsbeth!” Alicia called and raised her hand to catch Elsbeth’s attention.

“Alicia! It’s so nice to see you.”

“And you,” Alicia agreed. She held out her hand while Elsbeth fumbled with her bag, books, and pens. “Can I hold something for you?” Elsbeth shook her head. “Do you have a minute to talk?”

“The feds aren’t giving you anymore trouble are they?” Elsbeth asked as she crammed the last item -- her knitting -- into her bag.

“No, nothing like that.” The crowd in the hallway had thinned out and Alicia led them to a bench in an out-of-the-way corner. “I meant what I said to you.”

A raucous noise sounded, startling Alicia into jumping. Elsbeth patted her pockets until she came up with a phone and muted the call. “Which part?”

“I want to learn from you.” Alicia couldn’t help but be amused as Elsbeth struggled to get her phone back into her pocket. “You have a very unique way of looking at cases and I think that learning to see things from alternate points of view would be very helpful.”

“I love your jacket, that color is gorgeous.” Elsbeth reached out and touched the cuff of Alicia’s honey-toned blazer. “You don’t need to learn to see from my point of view; you have your own. Where do you find such amazing suits?”

“It’s Chanel.” This was part of what Alicia wanted to learn. The conversation shifts were so abrupt they tricked people -- herself included -- into underestimating Elsbeth. “What do you mean?”

Elsbeth giggled. “Saint Alicia.” Alicia frowned and Elsbeth’s giggle turned into a laugh. “Don’t look like that. Saint Alicia is your schtick, it’s what you do. You follow the rules. You have empathy for your client _and_ the other side. You respect the jury, you respect the judge. You don’t” -- Elsbeth’s hands opened wide in an all encompassing gesture -- “play games. You’re all proper and ladylike on the outside, like nothing could touch you. And then you go into court and you fight” -- Elsbeth punched one hand into the open palm of the other -- “for your client like a tiger. It catches people off guard. It works for you.” Elsbeth shrugged then. “Like Patti Nyholm uses pregnancy and motherhood to her advantage. Or Nancy Crozier pretends to be sweet and innocent.”

“You’re not acting.” Alicia shook her head. “I don’t want to put on an act.”

“That’s just it. You’re not. Regardless of what may be going on underneath the surface, you’re still everything Saint Alicia embodies, because _that’s what you are_.”

“I still want to learn from you. I want to learn your process, see where you start and how you get to the end.”

Elsbeth’s expression closed in, and Alicia could practically hear the gears turning in her mind. “I’m not sure how to do that.”

“I am.” Alicia opened her briefcase and withdrew a file stuffed with papers and held together by a rubber band. “I want you to represent me. Get Peter to agree to everything in this folder and let me watch you do it.”

Elsbeth flipped quickly through folder, skimming over highlighted areas and turning to the flagged pages. “Everything? No comprises on anything?”

“No compromises, no work-arounds.” Alicia smiled at Elsbeth and relaxed back against the bench. “That is my one and only offer.”

Elsbeth read through a flagged page while she dug in her pocket for her phone. She had double-checked at one page and turned back to another by the time her phone was out. “Chanel? Could you, I don’t know, take me shopping one day while we’re working on this?” Elsbeth dialed the phone and stood. “Peter? Elsbeth Tascioni. How have you been?”

Alicia watched from the bench as Elsbeth struggled to walk, talk, and carry her bag at the same time. Elsbeth turned around and gave her a thumbs up.

 _“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”_  
Buddha

Kalinda watched the man from her car. It wasn’t the first time she had tracked him to this or some other location and observed him from a discrete distance. He was everything she was looking for, and because of that she highly doubted he would be interested in what she had to offer. So she had sweetened the pot and made sure he would get what he wanted. He sat on a bench and ran a hand through his hair, concentration split between the sandbox and the swings. Now was as good a time as any. Kalinda made sure the linen envelope was in her breast pocket and got out of the car.

She approached him from the rear, stopping to buy two cups of coffee from a vendor just outside the park. He was waving to his child on the swings when she sat down beside him and held out the cup of coffee.

“Kalinda Sharma.” He took the coffee and popped the lid off of it. “I’d ask how you knew how I take my coffee but it seems rather silly -- you’ve been following me off and on for six months now. If you didn’t know how I take it you’d be in the wrong line of work.”

“If you hadn’t known I was following you, I certainly would never have given you this.” Kalinda pulled the envelope from her inside pocket. She held it out to him, but he didn’t take it.

“What is it?”

Kalinda shrugged. “Open it and see.” He took the envelope from her. She sipped her coffee while she waited for him to read what was in the envelope. She wasn’t at all surprised when he started laughing.

“I got out of the racket, I’ve got better ways to spend my time than selling my soul for your dirty money.” He restuffed the envelope and put it on the bench. One of his girls ran up to him yelling “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy” the entire way. Andrew pulled a tissue from the bag at his side and held it against her face so she could blow her nose.  
“They’ve grown.” She said as the little one ran off.

Andrew stuffed the dirty tissue into a baggy and leaned back against the bench. “It’s what they do.”

They both sat on the bench and watched the children play as they sipped their coffee. Kalinda was half finished with hers when she broke the silence. “The job, it’s not what you think it is. It’s only tangentially related to Lockhart-Gardner.”

“Oh?”

There was interest in his voice, Kalinda could tell. “Cook County Legal Aid is operating out of our firm now. It was the only way to keep its doors open.” Andrew finished his coffee, crushed the cup, and put it in the baggie too. “You would be investigating for them.”

“Rapists and murderers instead of class-action law suits?”

He sounded curious, as if he wanted to be reeled in. “Possible rapists and murderers. You know prosecution prefers to take the … easiest answer instead of the correct one.”

“I won’t work on cases that aren’t pro bono.”

Kalinda widened her eyes and nodded. “Of course not.”

“I make my own hours and take my children if I need to.”

“Naturally.” Kalinda finished her coffee. Andrew took the cup from her and disposed of it; Kalinda couldn’t help but be entertained by the automatic process.

“Why me?”

Kalinda had anticipated that question and deliberated long and hard on how to answer. Andrew Wiley was a highly principled man. The truth was the only way to answer him.

“Because you’re like me. You get your teeth into something and you see it all the way through to the end, no matter what that ending is.” She saw him turn to look at her out of the corner of her eye, but kept her focus straight ahead. “Unlike me, you make sure the truth is known by anyone who will listen.”

Andrew’s watch beeped. He turned off the alarm and stood. “Come on kids, time to go!” He shouted to his children. They ran to him and he got them settled into the stroller while gathering all the bags and other detritus that was involved in a day in the park in late autumn Chicago.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Andrew called over his shoulder as he walked away.

 _“The man of character, sensitive to the meaning of what he is doing, will know how to discover the ethical paths in the maze of possible behavior.”_  
Earl Warren

“Grace!” Alicia called. “Get your coat, come on let’s go.”

Grace’s bedroom door opened and she popped her head out far enough to ask, “Where are we going, Mom?”

“Hurry up, slacker!” Zach shouted from the door where he was already bundled into cap, coat, and gloves. “We’re going to get me a car!”

“A car?” Grace shut her bedroom door and reemerged in seconds, bundled up even tighter than Zach. “What did you do to deserve a car?”

“Mom’s pissed at Grandma,” Zach offered at the same time that Alicia said, “He’s earned it with his grades and behavior.”

Grace looked back and forth between them. “Does this mean you’re going to buy me a car too?”

“I think it’s too soon to have that discussion.” Alicia opened the door and waited for them to pass through it. “You won’t be sixteen for a couple of years.”

“Mo-om!” Alicia locked the door to the apartment and watched her kids as they picked on each other the entire way to the elevator. “Mom! Come on!” Alicia reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. She shot a text to Peter and made it to the elevator before it closed.

~*~

“Come on, Mom!” Zach’s voice was a grating blend of whining and begging. It was giving Alicia a headache. “I don’t want a Ford! Ford’s aren’t cool.”

“We’re not getting you a cool car. We’re getting you a practical car.” Alicia turned into the lot and pulled her Lexus smoothly into a vacant space. “A hybrid SUV.”

“Is that Dad?” Grace had her seatbelt off and was out of the car before Alicia could respond.

“Dad’s here?” His voice was soft and vulnerable, his expression confused.

Alicia patted him on the arm and gave him a smile. When Zach returned the gesture her heart felt lighter than it had in longer than she cared to remember. “Did you think I would do something like this without discussing it with your father first?”

Zach shook his head. “We aren’t like other divorced families, are we?”

“That’s because we’re not divorced.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Zach opened the car door and climbed out. “You keep saying that.”

“That’s because it’s true.” Zach’s door slammed shut. Alicia watched as her children surrounded Peter, jostling for hugs and attention. By the time she joined them, they had settled down and were looking at the Escape she and Peter had already picked out.

“Dad! It’s a Ford.” Zach kept saying it as if he thought they were going to change their mind. “I don’t want a Ford!”

Grace was like a broken record too. “Zach! Quit being a brat, you’re getting a car! You know if you get him a car and you don’t get me one, it’s favoritism.”

“If you’ll come with me and sign these papers, everything is ready just like you’d asked,” the saleswoman -- Joanne -- said as she joined them at the car. Alicia followed her inside.

“Are you kidding me? I don’t even get to test drive it?”

“Your mother and I have both already driven it. It’s what you’re getting unless you don’t want a car.”

When Alicia returned with the keys in one hand and a copy of the papers in the other, Zach and Grace were in the car, buckled up and ready to go. “Mom?” Zach unfastened the seatbelt and climbed out of the car. He hugged her, and then his father, then the two of them together. “Thank you so very much for this practical hybrid SUV.” Alicia grinned at him as she handed him the keys. “I certainly appreciate the fact that it’s American-made more than anything else. I’m sure the voters will too.” Zach rolled his eyes and climbed back inside his car.

“You are quite welcome.” Peter laughed. “Drive safe.”

“Be home by eight,” Alicia added.

“Eight? Mom! Come on,” Grace was yelling from inside the car.

“It’s a school night!” Alicia covered her mouth to hide her laughter when Zach squealed out of the parking lot, spinning his tires in the process and laying down rubber for about ten feet or so.

Peter put an arm around Alicia’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, he’ll get the hang of it.”

“I know.” Alicia looked up at him and caught his eye. “Are you ready?”

Peter nodded. “The papers are signed and with our attorney.”

“The contractor said it would be a week at the most.”

Peter walked Alicia to her car. “That long? To knock down a wall and join two apartments together? Last time you moved me, in what? Three hours?”

Alicia looked at Peter.

“Too soon?” He had the grace to at least look embarrassed. “Alicia, look, if you’re not sure or if you need more time--”

“Did you read the contract?” Peter nodded. “Did you sign the contract?”

“I just said I did, Alicia.”

“As long as we both adhere to the terms, there is no problem.”

Peter looked at Alicia.

Alicia rolled her eyes at him. “There will be some residual emotional issues, we know this. There will not be any new ones.”

Peter opened Alicia’s car door and closed it when she was seated. Alicia started the engine then rolled down the driver’s side window. “Peter.”

“Alicia, I swear to you--”

“Don’t swear to _me_ , Peter.”

“I gave my word, to the children and to you, I signed the contract.”

“Good.” Alicia slid the car into reverse. “I’ll see you at home. In one week.”

“In the meantime, I’ll just find my mother a long cruise somewhere warm.”

“I hear Australia’s nice this time of year.” Alicia backed out of the parking spot and headed to her empty apartment. Soon it would be filled with Zach and Grace and the story of their first adventure in their very own car. She refused to think any further ahead than that.

For now.

 _“Yes, I will bring the understanding of a woman to the Court, but I doubt that alone will affect my decisions. I think the important thing about my appointment is not that I will decide cases as a woman, but that I am a woman who will get to decide cases.”_  
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

“Diane.” Eli had that frantic look about him. Diane had learned that the look could mean anything from the coffeepot was empty to the building was on fire. As well as anything in between. Eli closed Diane’s door behind him and locked it. He moved swiftly to the window and started closing all the blinds.

“Eli.”

“Do you know what the best thing about already having a national scandal is?” Eli finished his task and turned to Diane

“Enlighten me.”

“Everyone already knows your name.” Eli sat down in the chair directly across from Diane. “They think they know what to expect from you. They think they know exactly how bad you are, and if your bad isn’t as bad as the next guy, you’ll still get elected.”

“And you’re telling me this because?”

Eli kicked his legs out and frowned. He stood, slid the chair closer to Diane’s desk then sat back down. He put one foot on top of the desk and crossed his other over his ankle. “State’s Attorney Peter Florrick just put in his name for governor.”

Diane’s pulse kicked up a notch. “Not state senator?”

Eli flashed her his constipated expression. “Please.”

“Not senator?” Diane was surprised; all the talk up until now had been about the U.S. Senate.

Eli’s only response was an eye roll.

Diane mentally reviewed the timeline. Peter would run for governor in 2014. If elected, he would be in office for four years. If Diane was going to make her move, she now had a timeline. Make as much money as she could. Sell her share in the firm. Run for judge. Serve the bench for a few years and then… “You see this ending in the White House.”

His eyes gleamed and he smiled a shark’s smile. “I do.”

“2016 or 2020?”

“He’ll run in 2016 and be offered the second spot. They won’t win. He’ll run again and be elected in 2020 to the top spot and then elected a second term in 2024. At least that’s what my crystal ball says.” Eli removed his feet from her desk and leaned forward. “Are you ready?”

Diane smiled her own shark’s smile. “I am.”


End file.
